Officer accused of excessive force acquitted

 A Richmond police officer accused of using excessive force against a drug suspect during a 2009 arrest was acquitted of all charges against him in Contra Costa County Superior Court Thursday.

After deliberating for less than a day, a jury found Officer Dedrick Riley, 42, not guilty of charges that he used excessive force and falsified a report to higher-ups to conceal the incident.

"I'm not surprised about (the verdict)," Riley's attorney Harry Stern said today. "I'm happy for him and his family."

Over the last two weeks, jurors heard testimony from Officer Anthony Diaz, the rookie officer who trained with Riley on March 7, 2009, and who said Riley punched a handcuffed suspect, Donald Stewart.

Stewart, who also testified, corroborated Diaz' testimony.

Prosecutor Barry Grove told the jury during closing arguments Wednesday that Riley could not contain his anger and lashed out at Stewart that night, then mentioned casually to a sergeant hours later that he had had to "slap him around".

A neighbor who said he witnessed the incident from across the street testified that he'd only seen Riley slap the suspect and did not see any punching.

Defense Attorney Harry Stern Thursday also told jurors that there was no evidence that Riley punched Stewart and that he reported to his superiors exactly what had occurred.

Jurors saw blown-up photos of Stewart taken after the incident in which his face appears to be free of bruises or other markings to indicate he had been punched.

And while Grove characterized Diaz as brave for reporting the incident, Stern painted him as inexperienced and said his testimony was emotionally charged and unreliable.

 Stern said his client hopes to continue working with the Richmond Police Department.

Riley was fired in 2006 and again in 2009 after incidents in which he allegedly failed to report using force against suspects during arrests, according to attorneys.

Both times, he appealed those decisions and regained his job.